"Shared Web Information Systems for Heritage in Scotland and Wales – Flexibility in Partnership" D. Thomas (RCAHMW) and P. McKeague (RCAHMS) This presentation was given at the XXIV International CIPA Symposium, 2013 - 'Recording, Documentation and Cooperation for Cultural Heritage'. The Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales were established in 1908 to investigate and record the archaeological and built heritage of their respective countries. The organisations have grown organically over the succeeding century, steadily developing their inventories and collections as card and paper indexes. Computerisation followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with RCAHMS releasing Canmore, an online searchable database, in 1998. Following a review of service provision in Wales, RCAHMW entered into partnership with RCAHMS in 2003 to deliver a database for their national inventories and collections. The resultant partnership enables both organisations to develop at their own pace whilst delivering efficiencies through a common experience and a shared IT infrastructure. Through innovative solutions the partnership has also delivered benefits to the wider historic environment community, providing online portals to a range of datasets, ultimately raising public awareness and appreciation of the heritage around them. Now celebrating its 10th year, Shared Web Information Systems for Heritage, or more simply SWISH, continues to underpin the work of both organisations in presenting information about the historic environment to the public.

1. David Thomas Peter McKeague
RCAHMW RCAHMS
SWISH Partnership
Shared Web Information Systems for Heritage
in Scotland and Wales- flexibility in partnership
www.rcahms.gov.uk @rcahmswww.rcahmw.gov.uk @rcahmwales
CIPA Strasbourg 5 September 2013

2. Background
Computerised systems based upon Ordnance Survey Card Index system
RCAHMS
Oracle database since 1992
Canmore: online searchable
database since 1998 with web GIS from 2002
Today there are over 300,000 site records and an integrated
archive of over 1,190,000 items in our Collections on Canmore
RCAHMW
FoxPro database 1992
CARN: online index: 1998
Today there are about 100,000 site records and over 362,000
items in the related archive available on Coflein

3. What is SWISH?
Shared Web Information Systems for Heritage
• Partnership between the Royal Commissions of Wales and Scotland
• Response to RCAHMW’s Information Systems and Strategy Review in
2001 that highlighted ‘time expired’ information systems and identified
options for the future
• Partnership started formally in 2003
• Provides services for managing and delivering historic environment
information and catalogues to national collections
• Services based on those developed prior to 2003 by RCAHMS
• 56 individual projects ‘so far’

4. What is SWISH?

5. CofleinCanmore
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/

6. 2001 RCAHMW Information Systems Strategy Review
2002 RCAHMW and RCAHMS Partnership Feasibility Study
2003 Partnership agreed and work commenced
Canmap gained Association of Geographic Information Award
2004 Coflein launched
Images added to Canmore
PASTMAP launched
2005 Mobile devices pilot
2006 Historic Wales launched
Thesaurus module launched
New RCAHMW website
2007 Events and People modules launched
2008 Coflein re-launch
2009 Canmore re-launch
MyCanmore launched
People’s Collection Wales Connector
2010 Collection Module (ISAD(G) compliant) for Wales
2011 Canmore mapping re-launch
Collection Module (ISAD(G) compliant) for Scotland
Britain from Above
Timeline
2012 Coflein mapping re-launch
Shared Digital Archives
Highlights

7. Internal Systems Online Delivery ‘Portal’ Applications Wider connections
NMRW Database Coflein Historic Wales Peoples Collection
Wales
NMRS Database Canmore PastMap Scotlands Places
Product Matrix
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/
http://pastmap.org.uk/ http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/
http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/http://jura.rcahms.gov.uk/NMW/start.jsp

8. Internal Systems Online Delivery ‘Portal’ Applications Wider connections
NMRW Database Coflein Historic Wales Peoples Collection
Wales
NMRS Database Canmore PastMap Scotlands Places
Product Matrix
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/
http://pastmap.org.uk/ http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/
http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/http://historicwales.gov.uk/

9. Peoples Collection
http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/

10. Scotlands Places
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/

11. Britain Abovefrom
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/

12. CREATING A COLLABORATIVE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT:
Specialist User Recording Environment

13. CREATING A COLLABORATIVE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT:
Trusted Users

14. CREATING A COLLABORATIVE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
User Generated Comment

15. Metadata and Services submitted through Scottish SDI are published on data.gov.uk
Canmore metadata record: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/canmore-the-national-monuments-record-of-scotland
INSPIRE, Web Map Services and Web Feature Services

16. TO THE FUTURE: meeting national outcomes
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00387872.pdf

17. Digital Archive
Storage
& Backup
External
Deposits
Data
Quality, Standards
& Completeness
Data Flow & Structure User Workflow &
Interfaces
Website Service
Potential
Spatial
User Diversity,
Rights
& Roles
Technology & Code
Data
Exchange &
Provision
Resources Security
Process
Governance
CORPUS
Collaborative Organisational Resource, Preservation and User System

18. Challenges of
Partnership
• A very long partnership – risk of being ‘taken for granted’
• Commitment of resources
• Working at a distance
• Partnership inertia
• Divergence of core aims
• Changes in political and other contexts
• Funding circumstances
Future Programme
Benefits of Partnership
• Rewarding to work with others
• Sharing services
• Skill sharing
• Expertise
• Efficiency savings
Contacts: peter.mckeague@rcahms.gov.uk david.thomas@rcahmw.gov.uk